Council hears extensive public debate, continues Hollywood & Highland signage ordinance

The Los Angeles City Council on June 13 heard more than two hours of testimony on a proposed ordinance to allow an expanded signage program for the Hollywood & Highland (Trizicon) development, including off-site ‘‘overlay’’ signs and high-technology digital displays, then agreed to carry the matter to second reading next week.

The proposal would exempt the project’s proposed signs from many existing LAMC sign provisions and the city’s interim billboard restrictions while tying the project to a future Hollywood Entertainment District overlay. The Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee recommended the ordinance with a caveat that Trizicon’s signs must later conform to any adopted overlay rules.

Opponents said the ordinance as written amounts to a project-specific exemption that could permit large, third‑party advertising facing commercial corridors and, potentially, the nearby freeway. John Murdock, attorney for the Hollywood Heights Association, told the council, “This ordinance is basically an…